In worrying news for Anthony Albanese, voters see opposition leader Peter Dutton as the stronger leader who has a clearer vision for Australia, according to the latest polls.
A Freshwater Strategy poll published by the Australian Financial Review on Monday showed Dutton was considered a strong leader by 44 per cent of voters surveyed, compared to just 31 per cent for Albanese.
This apparently demonstrated that the Coalition’s tactics of constantly referring to Albanese as a “weak leader” were paying dividends.
What is even more alarming for Labor is that Dutton also had significant leads on a number of other positive attributes, which 1,051 voters were asked to assign to him and Albanese in the poll conducted over the weekend.
Dutton outperformed Albanese on 10 of 12 qualities, including the 10-point difference in having “a clear vision for Australia” and paying “attention to detail”.
The Liberal leader also had a strong nine-point lead over Albanese when voters chose which men “would be good in a crisis,” are “good problem solvers” and “can get things done.”
Voters also praised Mr Dutton for “understanding the issues facing Australia” and for being “hardworking” compared to Mr Albanese.
When asked which leader shared his values and showed “trustworthiness”, Mr Dutton still enjoyed a narrow lead of three and two points.
There have been more worrying polls for Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton has been branded a “stronger leader”.
The only qualities that Mr Albanese surpassed Mr Dutton were being “in touch with ordinary people” and he also had an eight-point margin on “he would be easy to talk to”.
Dutton has opened up a substantial lead over Albanese in overall approval ratings, although neither leader is in positive territory, with more voters disapproving of the job both men are doing.
Dutton’s net approval rating (approval minus disapproval) sits at -3 compared to Albanese’s -17.
However, Albanese has a slight lead over Dutton as preferred prime minister, 46 per cent to 43 per cent, while the Coalition leads Labor by 51 to 49 on a two-party preference basis, which was the same result as in the previous vote. month.
If this division is repeated in next year’s federal election, it will most likely lead to a minority government.
A separate poll conducted earlier this month by Accent Research and RedBridge Group showed the Coalition was in the box to form that government.
Liberal leader Peter Dutton (pictured left with wife Kirilly) has opened up a substantial net approval rating lead over Albanese.
Seat-by-seat analysis showed the Albanese government had “almost zero” chances of retaining its majority in the House of Representatives and the Coalition was poised to snatch at least nine electorates.
The poll published by the Daily Telegraph showed New South Wales would be a crucial electoral battleground, with five seats likely to change hands and another seven tottering.
In Victoria, polls showed the Coalition would likely claim at least one seat from Labor and another would be too close to achieve.
Labor was also in danger of losing at least one seat in other states and territories.
RedBridge found that the Coalition’s strategy of focusing on suburban and regional seats most affected by cost of living increases was resonating with voters.
The perception of Albanese as a “weak leader” was also reflected in a Newspoll published by The Australian last week.
Only 44 per cent of the 1,258 voters surveyed believed the Prime Minister is a “strong and decisive leader”, a drop of five points from previous polls.
It is also the lowest rating for a sitting prime minister since Newspoll began asking voters following Kevin Rudd’s 2007 election victory.
Dutton, on the other hand, was considered decisive by a consistent 60 percent of voters surveyed.
It is the highest percentage for a federal opposition leader since Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull more than a decade ago.
Only 44 per cent of the 1,258 voters polled believed the Prime Minister was a “strong and decisive leader”, a drop of five points from previous polls.
It is also the lowest rating for a sitting prime minister since Newspoll began asking voters following Kevin Rudd’s 2007 election victory.
Dutton, on the other hand, was considered decisive by a consistent 60 percent of voters surveyed.
It is the highest percentage for a federal opposition leader since Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull more than a decade ago.
If Albanese loses government after just one term, it will be the first time this has happened since 1932, when James Scullin led the Labor Party to a devastating defeat during the economic misery of the Great Depression.